How do you cope with the stress and challenges of service delivery management and maintain your well-being?

Above that I would like to mention 2 things that work for me: a) Time blocking: if I need some time to focus or to avoid distraction, I block this time in my calendar. Everybody sees I don't want to be disturbed and it is respected by the team; b) Say "no": I am learning to say "no" since it is better than to take on too much and risk not being able to meet my own deadlines. And tools? Well, I am (I guess?) old-fashioned since I need Outlook (Calendar), OneNote and To Do - everything from Microsoft, even though I am using Mac:)

When delivering services it is key that you build a service capable of delivering services when you are faced with challenges such as vehicle breakdown, staff shortages. Building a proper contingency plan that is designed to ensure service delivery is not disrupted by these challenges will demonstrate that you are prepared for most things you face on a daily basis.

Winston Churchill said: “He who fails to plan is planning to fail” As Service Delivery encompasses such a broad range of responsibilities and deliverables, it is a significantly important role within any organisation, therefore without a effective time management and prioritisation an SDM will be unable to fulfil their responsibilities. There are many tools an SDM can take advantage of e.g. calendar, to-do lists, time tracking apps, and project management software, however In my experience, I find having an upto date calendar with time set aside for responses, BAU, Project deliverables, customer, stakeholder and team engagement is the basics to allow an SDM to continue to contribute value to the organisation.

Managing time and conflicting priorties can be a challenge for any SDM Here are some tips to stay ahead of the curve: 1.) Start Early Monday with High Level weekly plan. 2.) Plan each Day, check which meetings you need to attend, which you can delegated 3.) Check Email 3 Time Per Day, Morning, lunch and evening time (if its really urgent people will call). 4.) Priortize List top Tasks which need to be completed on that specific day and which ones need to be done during this week, the either delagate tasks or schedule time in calendar to do them. 5.) Block Time in Calendar for specific tasks which need time to focus, think, plan and execute :) Please do let me know if you have any questions!

Balancing the delivery of service is quite challanging task. Because, resources are fixed and limited, but number of calls vary time to time. The best approaches is to get the visibility wherever possible through proactive communication and keep some resources buffer for emergency / contingency. Despite the best plan, overlap is quite common. engineers schedule may clashes among multiple calls. In such scenario, it is prudent to proactively inform the customer and seek cooperation. Try to develop plan B, for example, remote support instead of field support. If problem is recurring, it is time to address to management for additional resources highlighting how it will address mitigating the ongoing issues and generate additional revenue.

This is key in maintaining rapport. Defining success and how it will be measured with the relevant stakeholders goes a long way in managing the stress and challenges of service delivery. The stress is an indicator of how far you are from what was agreed upon by the relevant stakeholders. Clear and proactive communication goes a long way in managing this especially when there are delays or unforeseen blocks. The feedback received when communicating clearly and proactively helps one know what has been done and what needs to be done and hence continued smooth delivery.

Trust is a key. That is the key in communication, and the trust can be earned by being honest and open. Both towards customers and team members. We all might say, sometimes it is better not to tell the truth however i think that it doesn't matter how big a problem or issue we are having, the best is to tell it..Maybe not all the details but anyway tell it. And if we say that in advance and let the relevant people know that we are already working to solve it, that will always help to gain the trust which is so important to make good cooperation.

Understand the Scope of Work, Risks involved and Timelines to be confident and will make you strong in your communication and you can be one step ahead of the situation.

All situations are made worse when you introduce uncertainty in the form of bad communication. It is essential for stakeholders to understand the current status of a project, good or bad, so they can plan effectively. The higher the quality of the communication, the better the footing to avoid missteps.

In many cases, SDMs need to deal with systems whose design is very peculiar. In this case, where training and documentation may not be 100% comprehensive, learning from past mistakes can make the difference. Thus, recording and processing Lessons Learned is in my opinion a central process to ensure effective and efficient service provision.

The field of SDM is constantly evolving, and it is important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies. This means being willing to learn new things and adapt to change. There are a number of ways to stay up-to-date with the SDM field. You can read industry publications, attend conferences, and take online courses. You can also talk to other SDM professionals and learn from their experiences.

The habit of continuous learning is vital for successful service delivery. It cultivates adaptability, ensuring agility in the face of ever changing business environment. Importantly, learning need not always be tied to technology or business — it can also involve seemingly unrelated skills, fostering a sense of self-worth and fulfilment.

Continuous Learning and Agility are key for SDMs to thrive. Some Tips to stay ahead of the curve. 1.) Seek Feedback from Stakeholders on Key improvements areas, then build a plan to develop those areas. 2.) Review CX Survey results to understand customer pain areas, and work proatively to resolve it not for only one customer, but for all customers when possible :) 3.) SDM roles have a key dimension around Customer Success, learning how to map account opportunities in a structured way to support inside sales/account management team is always a great way to keep customers happy and business thriving (win win). 4.) Keep investing in comms training, its the best investments u'll every make:) Please let me know if you have any questions!

Believe in yourself and believe in your team. Generalists and niche players all have a role to play. No one can know everything all of the time so don’t beat yourself up over it.

Here's a warning from my past self. I was an SDM managing three customers for a major outsourcer, which meant triple the reports, escalations, and out-of-hours interruptions. While I made significant improvements for my customers, it came at a high personal cost. I lost sleep, getting called overnight almost daily. My well-being deteriorated over the months, and I lost one of my best relationships because I was always on call and couldn't fully engage in my personal life. The situation worsened because I didn't communicate the strain to higher management. My boss dismissed my workload as "We are all busy". Please advocate for yourself and be open about your workload. Don't let it consume your life, and place limits and boundaries.

It’s not only useful to work on balance, but also find ways to integrate work and life. I have often taken meetings ‘on-the-road’, that is, while out walking. if I have planned well, taken the time to prepare for any meetings, when it comes time to contribute, share, and/or respond, I simply sit and do so.

I have started to walk regularly especially before work and during lunch break, especially working from home it’s important to step away from your laptop.

Balance can look different to each of us, and there won't be a single activity that magically resets your balance. Start paying attention to your energy and stress levels throughout the week, during different types of days or circumstances. Then, look for a way you can add some type of mental break to reset your energy. For me, I've noticed I need to keep my desk, calendar, and inbox de-cluttered. Clutter stresses me out. When I feel things piling up, no amount of walking or meditating is going to help. Instead, I'll block off time to clean up, usually listening to music. If it takes 15 minutes or 1.5 hours, the stress levels go way down. This goes for life as well as work

It is important to clearly communicate to the team when something is well done, no matter how big or small it is. Small steps lead to big successes! Celebrate successes with the whole team, but if someone deserves to be praised, do so loud and clear.

It is important to take the time to celebrate your achievements and successes, no matter how small they may seem. This will help you to stay motivated and focused on your goals. There are a number of ways to celebrate your achievements and successes. You can share them with your team members, your manager, or your customers. You can also take some time for yourself to reflect on your accomplishments.

Celebrate achievements by acknowledging your hard work and sharing the joy with others. Take a moment to reflect on the journey that led to success, recognizing the challenges overcome and lessons learned. Express gratitude to those who supported you, whether it's friends, family, or colleagues. Treat yourself to a small reward, such as a favorite meal or an enjoyable activity. Share your success on social media to inspire and connect with others. Finally, use this milestone as motivation for future goals, embracing the positive energy and confidence gained from your success

Regularly acknowledging and celebrating achievements, both big and small, is crucial for maintaining well-being and fostering a positive work environment for service delivery managers and their teams. This practice boosts morale, reinforces individual and collective contributions, and promotes resilience in the face of challenges.

Praise is just as important as reprimand, but unfortunately today's "young managers" don't know how to deal with it at all, I can't learn that at university, it comes with experience. As a manager, you have to act sensibly, especially in interpersonal relationships. I have to earn and maintain the respect and recognition of the teams and customers, while being and remaining credible. Not just making demands and talking, but also doing things and putting them into practice.

In my experience it is important not to apportion blame for incidents and issues. It fosters bad relationships. Work together to resolve the issues and learn from them hopefully to avoid any repeats.

Rapport and relationship building. As an SDM I’m not an expert on everything, I rely on the expertise of stakeholder groups. Knowing how I can help them and supporting them as well as finding out what’s important to them creates a reciprocal relationship. They help me in stressful situations because they know I do the same for them.

The more the issue gets escalated to higher level management, the more stress there is for Service Delivery. Thus, it’s very crucial to have a well defined Stakeholders’ Management Plan. Having clear communication channels, understanding stakeholders' expectations, and addressing their concerns can significantly reduce stress and enhance service delivery.

The old adage of "measure twice and cut once" can be applied to the planning phase before any development work is started. - Consulting with all stakeholders and properly allocating time to deliverables like dev work, UAT testing documentation(this is 1 that is often overlooked) etc. will go a long way to help minimize "surprises". - Having buffer periods built into the plan will allow some breathing room once you start execution. - Identify risks, classify them and create mitigation plans to manage these risks in the event that they materialize. - Ensure that all stakeholders are clearly informed of what is expected from them and when - communicating early and often again will help to minimize surprises.